Wiki

The reason I love wikis and one of the reasons they are so useful for education, is because a wiki will stay there forever, or until someone takes it down. Other class collaborative websites (like blackboard, for instance) disappear as soon as the semester is over, which inhibit the students from accessing it later in their academic career.

The thing I am most proud of this semester...

Is my personal technology project. It's just below this post, but just in case you are reading this on a feed, here is the link: Personal Technology Project.

The reason I am the most proud of this project is because I really love narrating, and I had never even thought about making a youtube video showcasing it. Not to mention, this is a quick an easy way to compare narrative styles, and for students to share it with one another without using class time. I could assign them to watch two projects on their own and then write a response, that way they would not have to spend a few days rehearsing projects in class, although that tactic does have its advantages.

Personal Technology Project

Narrative Comparison

Overarching question: How does narrative tone affect your perception of the character? What literary elements are encompassed in narrative tone, and how can you best use those elements in your own writing? 

Assignment: Listen to a selection from any audio book of your choosing. Select 90 seconds to re-record yourself. When you record these two examples of how to narrate, be sure that they are contrasting in the narrative delivery of the text. Then write a one-page reflection, detailing why you chose that particular narrative tone, and how you feel it is supported by the text. Please then post a video of your readings, including the professional reading selection, to our class wiki. Your reflection you do not have to post, although you may for extra credit. 

This assignment addresses Standard 4 of the Utah LA Core: Understand and use receptive and expressive oral language skills to communicate

part f: Plan, present, and critique dramatic readings of literary selections. 

Sample Response:

Anxiety and Speed

My first recording of Mia Thermopolis (the name of the main character in The Princess Diaries) I tried to go at a fairly normal speed (compared to some of the fast talking friends I know) as if she were a normal, somewhat shy 9th grader, because that’s who I feel like she is. I think that Mia is reticent to share any information beyond what she usually feels like she has to, although some of her insights do give the story character. 

But I wanted just a normal read, nothing too out-of-the ordinary. There was no excessive tone or volume, and I thought that the pacing was good, although I didn’t try to match the pacing of the professionally recorded narrative. 

The second recording I definitely tried to speed up the pace. I did this for two reasons. One, I thought it would convey the anxiety of the character, but two I also feel like it lends to Mia showing that she wants to share with someone, that she really wants a friend. Which is the whole reason she has a diary in the first place I feel like. However, as I mentioned before, Mia seems a little shy and sometimes unwilling to give up the information, even to her oh-so-secret diary, and I wanted to see if the words when read with a quicker pace would still convey that hesitancy. They did not. If you read the passage like a girl dying to share her secrets, It sounds like a girl... dying to share her secrets. 

Personal Technology Project Proposal

The standard I wish to work on is from the 8th Grade Utah Core: 
Standard 1 (Reading): Students will use vocabulary development and an understanding of text elements and structures to comprehend literary and informational grade level text" for 8th grade
Objective 3 (Comprehension of Literary Text): Comprehend literature using elements of narrative and poetic text.  

b. Describe a character’s traits as revealed by the character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions. 

This wil be accomplished partly by audio books and partly by student readings. For my personal technology project, I will have the students listen to an audio version of a text, and then have the students record several versions of the text, in order to show how different narration can change the meaning of the text. The students will upload their examples as one video to youtube, in order to easily contrast them. Depending on the length of the selection these videos can be from 5-8 minutes long. 

This project entails not only listening to an audiobook, but recording your own performances of the text, mixing those performances into one video, and uploading that video on youtube. 

internet safety

I think the most important thing I learned from reading these articles about internet safety is how important it is to educate students properly about the lasting consequences of their actions online, especially in posting media.



I really liked this website insofar as teaching about how to be careful. I watched the video on how to change your privacy settings on Facebook.

I think if you model appropriate behavior for your students (creating a safe non-searchable) class website for instance, you will be able to help the students see what sort of precautions need to be taken.

multimedia project storyboard

Participation week 9

On thinking about my Multimedia project, I have decided to do a book trailer, because I feel like that is something I would like to have a model of to show my students. Book trailers are a really good way to interest young readers who might not see the appeal of the plot of a book without other enticements. It is also a fairly creative avenue, allowing students freedom in how they create their own. I like to foster creativity.

Multimedia Project storyboard

Here is the storyboard for my multimedia project: a book trailer for The Hunger Games


"Life was never easy for Katniss Everdeen...

...hunting for her sister and mother; 

barely enough to eat...

and then came the day of the reaping

when someone's name from their district would be selected 

to particpate in the hunger games

a fight 

to the death

in an arena

 

broadcast

for all the world to see

so when Katniss' little sister 

Prim's number is called

what else can Katniss do

bit volunteer 

to go in her place

Katniss goes

along with another boy from her district

Peeta

will katniss survive the games?

to return to her sister?

by killing her friend

or will he kill her

or could there be

another way?

Credits:

All photos garnered from Flickr, in the following order of users:

shack --bad alley

barbed wire--kathryn 45

dirty town--richard314159

weapons --knyazev jakov

plate--just_[von]Bernard

lottery balls--monte mendoza

fight--lorcan otway

black eye--genevive elise

valley-lumaka

tv--(star)jsf(star)

for all the world to see

crowd--national library NZ

prim--simondeanmedia

what else can Katniss do

hand--viqui French

Peeta--tomt6788

sisters holding hands--stefanie-Elizabeth

boy with gun--nomesmatirica

two roads diverging-patricksmith photography. 

 

Multimedia Project

I think the one of the most useful ways to incorporate technology, other than having students act out a work of literature and then record it, is a book trailer. I think that can engage students creatively, and in turn, motivate other students to read that book. It's probably what I am going to do for my Multimedia project.

Copyright

The following video is a medly of different rap songs, performed by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. This is a great example of copyright law, because they never use more than 10% of the song enabling them to play it on the air (or they got permission to somehow, because NBC is not getting sued).



I was going to put this up as a poor example of copyright law, because this college has put their rendition of "Pirates of Penzance" online, thus stopping others from buying different renditions of the movie, but then I realized that Pirates of Penzance is in the public domain, so it's probably fine, right?

Gadgets

One gadget I really like and use on my personal blog is MapLoco, which lets you see where the people who visit your website are--a visitor map. I really like it because I like knowing how many people visit my blog, and sometimes I can tell which friends they are based on their location.

I think it would be useful in a classroom if we had students create their own websites or blogs about something, for them to see how many people are visiting it, to give them a sense of accomplishment.

Why I believe in Google Reader

It is like a newspaper, containing articles that only pertain to things I like, yet doesn't waste any trees, and has very few ads. I love anything that makes my life easier, so instead of surfing around the internet, I come home and I have one site that has all my friends blogs, my news blogs, my leisure blogs in one place. It gives me something to read on my iphone when I am just standing in line. It is simple and efficient, and allows a ton of control over the media I want to consume, instead of having to sift through everything contained in a usual magazine or newspaper.

Professor West asked me to post why I like google reader. Apparently some of you are yet to be converted.

Prezi - participation week 5 (sept 28)

Some of you may know about this tool already, but it is a presentation program called Prezi. It is actually web-based, so the presentation you show can be accessed on the web. Instead of having the traditional power point slides however, it instead seems to 'zoom' from one graphic/text block to the next, creating a much more interactive experience for the viewer. The more engaging our presentations can be as teachers, the more students we will be able to reach with valuable information.

www.prezi.com

Reflection for Week 4 (Sept 21)

I have to wonder, with all these ways that we can communicate and stay in touch now, isn't there a point where it becomes too much? How do you prioritize the media that you read? There is no way to ever be 'finished' with Google reader. I think if I ever tried to thoroughly read every post in there I would be there for hours. But how do you decide what to pay attention to?

Favorite blogs

I think that my most useful resource, out of the blogs I have chosen to subscribe to will be the teachers' blogs. I feel like nothing can compare with first hand experience and classroom management practices, no matter now informed I am about the english field.

Blog Following/Reader

I have added the following subscriptions to my google reader:

http://mrbchs.blogspot.com/ -A fellow english teacher blog, with good links about how to incorporate technology into the classroom.

http://ncteinbox.blogspot.com/ - The National Council of Teachers of English
The powers that be. I figured we should keep in touch.

http://www.huffenglish.com/ -  I've read a few of these posts, and it seems like this teacher really keeps up-to-date with the world of teaching english, and would be a good thermometer for gauging hot topics in the field.

http://teachforus.org - The collective blog of those on the front lines for Teach for America. Although I don't necessarily agree with the TFA program, these teachers are teaching students who are just like the ones I will teach some day.

http://learningismessy.com/blog/ - Blog of a teacher who uses tons of technology in the classroom. Time to start taking notes.

I realize that a lot of my blogger screen here is taken up with other blogs I am following...sorry about that. I was a reader long before this class, and the blogs just keep coming.

I have also subscribed to the blogs of the group members who have sent me their links.


Twitter:

I began following EnglishTeaching, who is an anonymous english teacher here in Utah valley

as well as Amy Johnson, who is an english teacher in Ohio - http://twitter.com/jujunjojosmom

previously, in my life

I am pretty tech-savvy.
I'm a convert to the Mac world as of 2 years ago, I might be losing my PC abilities. But I can do things.

You know,
install drivers.
Connect stuff.
Troubleshoot.
I'm pretty cozy
with this whole tech thing.
Most of the time.

Poll

I added a poll widget to my blog because it is the most interactive.

I love interacting.  I feel it is important for my readers to be engaged, and have a voice, that way they will read my blog more often.